Peggi:
>Seriously, since it's a concerned wheat farmer who stands to gain big
>bucks from dredging the river, I'd question the environmental validly of
>doing so.

It's really more due to the ocean-going ships going to the
Port of Portland, at least downstream from the confluence
of the Willa-mett-ee. Barges don't usually draw the 35 feet or
whatever maximum the Corps plans for (that's the neighborhood
though I don't know the exact number). They have to dredge
considerably deeper, of course, to account for seasonal (hah!
we know that now!) and tidal flucuations in the depth of the river.



- Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>
Nature photos, on-line guides, more at http://www.xxxpdx.com/~dhogaza